Install GardenCAD Pro

Even though you can rapidly produce landscape plans with GardenCAD Lite, the full version of the software (GardenCAD Pro) is more full featured and much more powerful.

How to get the Pro version?

When you enrol for the course 'Using GardenCAD - CAD software for landscape designers' on our companion eLearning web site: http://www.landscapetutor.net, we will post a copy of the software to you on a USB drive. The software is free, but you pay for the training.

Since we deliver the software to you by post, we will need you to contact us by email via [info@gardencad.net] and provide a delivery address.

Installation steps

When the USB drive arrives, insert it in a spare USB slot in your computer. If you use Windows Explorer and now log this drive, you will find a folder called GardenCAD folder on it. In that folder is a self install setup application file used to set the program up on your computer.

Note that the USB drive must remain in the computer at all times while you are using GardenCAD. [The USB drive can (and should we believe) also be used to store your backup files]. 

Remember, your 'live' copy of GardenCAD will be delivered by post, it cannot be obtained by downloading it from the Internet.

Here are the steps to take when you wish to install your 'live' copy of GardenCAD:

1. If as hope you would have, you have been using the demonstration copy of GardenCAD, please click Programs>GardenCAD and select uninstall GardenCAD before installing this new copy of the program. Simply click on the start button, search for GardenCAD and select Uninstall. The demonstration software will be automatically removed by the uninstall option.

2. Insert the USB drive into your computer. Most computers sense the presence of a new USB drive and pop up the window shown in the figure below. Select 'Open folder' to view files.

2. When you click 'Open Folder' (you are logging the USB drive), depending how your copy of Windows Explorer is set up, you should see a dialog box similar to that shown below:

Windows Explorer shows the contents of the USB drive. Copy the GardenCAD configuration file from the GardenCAD directory to the root directory of your computer - the C:\ drive. This is easily done by dragging the GardenCAD notepad icon to the C:\drive.

3. Copy the file GardenCAD.cfg to the root directory of your computer. This is sometimes called local disk C: [also referred to as C:\].

Click here to play a movie which shows how to copy the GardenCAD configuration file to the hard disk of your computer.

It is a good idea to check that the configuration file is indeed at the root directory of C: after you have done this. See the figure below.

Checking that the GardenCAD configuration file is correctly located. Log the C: drive (circles at left) and check that the GardenCAD.cfg file shows on the right.

To copy a file, you can select the configuration file (which should have a notebook icon associated with it) and while holding the left button of the mouse down, drag the file and drop it on the local disk C: drive as shown in the movie. You can also select the file, right click, select copy, then move to the C: drive, select the top level of the drive (the one showing all your folders, right click again and select paste. Do not drop the GardenCAD.cfg file in the GardenCAD folder.

4. Use your mouse to log (focus your attention on) the GardenCAD USB drive. Double click on the folder GardenCAD and on the file GCADSetup.exe [application]. This will install GardenCAD. As the setup file runs, you will be asked to accept our end user agreement (licence) which basically says that you can use the software on one computer and that you will not copy the software and distribute copies to others.

**** Keep the USB key in the computer when you want to use GardenCAD. Do not alter the files on it or GardenCAD will not operate. ****

Installation of GardenCAD

Rather than describe in detail what transpires as the GardenCAD program is installed, we have provided a small movie which shows what happens when you run the GardenCAD setup program (GCADSetup.exe).

 Click here to play a movie which shows how GardenCAD is installed.

Note that GardenCAD install in its own folder away from the usual Program Files folder. This is a deliberate move on our part. The figure below shows the folder structure.

GardenCAD's folder structure.

Note the Blocks folder. Here we have collected some 80+ plant symbols for you to use. The use of these blocks is covered in the 'Using Blocks' module in this Using GardenCAD course on http://www.softwaretutor.net. GardenCAD will automatically file the drawings that you complete in the Jobs folder. You can of course, store them elsewhere.

Sample drawings

We have provided several sample drawings for you to experiment with. These are stored in the Jobs folder and are shown in the figures below. If these drawings load and display correctly, then your copy of GardenCAD is ready for work!

The sample drawing file SampleCourtyard1.vec file